Conical impeller suction fan



Sept. 8, 1964 F. H. CLUTE 3,147,911

CONICAL' IMPELLER SUCTION FAN I Filed Oct. 24.4960 j 2 Sheets-Shet 1 I l INVENTOR. Franc/s C/ufe BY V fig TORNDS. 7

United States Patent 3,147,911 CONICAL IMPELLER SUCTIGN FAN Francis H. Clnte, Rocky Ford, Colo., assignor to Francis H. Clute & Son, Inc., Rocky Ford, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Filed Oct. 24, 1960, Ser. No. 64,665 3 Claims. (Cl. 230-134) The present invention relates to a blower or a suction fan and more particularly to improvements in the construction of a conical impeller suction fan.

It is the primary object of the present invention to improve the construction of the vanes of a suction fan or blower by providing vane extensions for drawing air into the runner of the blower fan so that a fan or blower of any standard horsepower size will have its efficiency significantly improved since the volume of air it will move will be significantly increased.

It is another object of the present invention to provide structure of the character above described wherein the runner of the blower or fan includes a plurality of vanes which are longitudinally straight and transversely arcuate and which are disposed relative to the hub of the runner at an acute angle to imaginary radii extending from the center of the hub through the point of connection between the vanes and the hub, such construction greatly increasing the efficiency and volumetric capacity of the fan or blower.

It is another object of the present invention to provide structure of the character above described wherein one set of common edges of the vanes is fixed to an annulus and the other set of common edges of the vanes is fixed to a plate, the plate including an annular ring portion and a frusto-conical central portion integral with the annular ring and extending axially inwardly relative to the runner so that air drawn in through the central opening in the side of the runner having the annulus is directed against the frusto-conical central portion of the plate as it enters the runner axially and is further directed outwardly toward the periphery of the runner by virtue of the frusto-conical shape greatly increasing the efficiency and capacity of the fan or blower.

It is the further object of the present invention to provide structure of the character above described wherein the inner peripheral edge of the annulus is provided with a flange extending axially outwardly relative to the runner and wherein the vanes are provided with extensions on the common edges to which the annulus is fixed which extend into the area surrounded by the flange and which effect an action drawing air into the central open portion of the runner increasing the efiiciency and volumetric capacity of the fan or blower.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide structure of the character above described wherein the casing of the fan or blower is provided with a mounting frame adapting the casing to be mounted so that a tangential discharge on the casing may be faced in any desired direction without necessity of modifying the mounting frame.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully as this specification proceeds and various modifications and changes may be made to the structure hereinafter described without departing from the spirit of the invention. Such further objetcs and advantages and modifications and changes are intended to be covered by the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a fan or blower embodying the concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the structure showing FIG. 1 with portions broken away and shown in section to show details of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a runner for a fan or blower of the type shown in FIG. 1, portions of the runner being broken away and shown in section to show details of construction;

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a vane of the type used in the runner of FIG. 3 with fragments of the remaining runner construction and the hub being also shown in perspective.

In the drawings a suction fan 10 is disclosed including a casing 12 provided with a mounting frame assembly 14 for mounting the fan 10 upon a base 16. Also mounted upon base 16 is an electric motor 17 for supplying motive power to drive the fan 10.

Frame 14 consists of a pair of spaced parallel angle iron frame ends 18 and 20 respectively joined at spaced intervals by three generally upright supports 22, 24 and 26. Supports 22 and 26 are fixed by suitable means such as nut and bolt fastening means 28 to an angle iron frame receiving member 30 which in turn is fixed to base 16 in any suitable manner. Casing 12 of fan 10 is confined between supports 24 and 26 and end members 18 and 29 which are welded to the exterior surfaces of casing 12 or fastened in any other suitable manner. It is further to be noted that casing 12 is of the type generally known as a spiral casing and is provided with an axial inlet flange 32 and a tangential outlet 34. Flange 32 is generally annular and interrupts support 26 dividing it into a first section 36 and a second section 38 which are each welded at their ends proximal to flange 32 to the latter. A pair of pillow block bearings 42 and 44 which are spaced and parallel and spaced axially from each other and from casing 12 are provided on support 22 and 24 and fixed thereto by suitable fastening means such as bolts 46. Bearings 42 and 44 rotatably journal fan shaft 48 which extends axially therethrough and into casing 12. A pair of collars 5t and 52 are fixed to shaft 48 on facing sides of bearings 42 and 46 to prevent axial shifting of shaft 48. A double belt pulley 54 is fixed to shaft 48 intermediate collars S'll and 52. Motor 17 is provided with an output shaft 56 spaced from and parallel to shaft 48 upon which is mounted a second double belt pulley 58 aligned with pulley 54 but spaced therefrom. A pair of belts 6t) and 62 drivingly interconnect pulleys 5S and 54.

It will be noted that an inclined support brace 64 may be provided extending between the upper portion of frame assembly 14 and the base 16 and fixed to the same by bolts 66 for additional support.

A runner 68 is mounted upon shaft 48 interiorly of casing 12 and includes a cylindrical hub 70 provided with a keyway 72 to permit hub 70 to be keyed to shaft 48 thereby preventing relative rotation of runner 68 and shaft 48. Runner 68 also includes a plurality of elongated, transversely arcuate, longitudinally straight, circumferentially spaced vanes 74 fixed to the outer cylindrical surface of hub 70 at an acute angle relative to imaginary radii extending from the center of hub 70 radially outwardly through the points of connection of vane 74 with hub 70. Vanes 74 extend spanwise outwardly from hub 70 and are substantially straight along a median plane which extends radially of the axis of runner 68, the median plane being denoted by the dashed line 71-71 shown in FIG. 4. Vanes 74 are transversely arcuate in a chordwise sense which extends axially of the runner, the concave surface 76 of each vane 74 facing in the direction of normal runner rotation which is clockwise as viewed in FIG. 3. Each vane 74 terminates in a pair of opposed, inner and outer transverse ends and 77, and corresponding longitudinal edges 80 and 86 of each vane 74 o substantially extend spanwise of the vane between ends 75 and 77.

Runner 68 further includes an annulus 78 fixed to common or corresponding edges 80 on transverse ends 77 of the respective vanes 74 to provide an air inlet to the central portion of the vanes. The inner peripheral margin of annulus '78 is provided with an annular flange 82 extending axially outwardly relative to runner 68. Each of the vanes 74 is provided with a vane extension 84 which extends laterally into the area surrounded by flange 82.

The common or corresponding opposite edges 86 of vanes 74 are fixed to a plate 88 which is comprised of an outer annular ring 90 and a frusto-conical central portion 92 integral with ring 90 and fixed to hub 70, portion 92 defining a frusto-conical inner surface 93. As shown in FIG. 4, the inner periphery of surface 93 is secured to hub 76 and to corresponding edges 86 on transverse ends 75 of vanes 74. It will be noted that the central frusto-conical portion 92 extends axially inwardly relative to runner 68 and to accommodate this construction common edges 86 have an outer straight portion 94 and a tapering central portion 96 which is inclined to converge toward edges 80 as the hub 70 is approached.

By virtue of this construction, the axial distance between annulus 78 and plate 88 increases as the outer periphery of runner 68 is approached. Accordingly, the corresponding chords of vanes '74 increases as the outer periphery of runner 68 is approached. In addition, the efiective spanwise lengths of vanes 74 increase from plate 88 to the inner periphery of surface 93 and the crosssectional area between adjacent vanes 74 increases outwardly spanwise of vanes 74.

It is further worthy of note that since the blades are transversely arcuate they are longitudinally longer as the longitudinal center line thereof is approached from the edges 80 and 86 so that the vanes 74 extend fully to the periphery of runner 68. In operation, when the motor 17 is connected to a source of electric power (not shown) shaft 56 is rotated driving pulley 58 which in turn drives pulley 54 through the belts 60 and 62 thereby rotating shaft 48 within bearings 42 and 44 and rotating runner 68 within housing 12. Air is drawn in through the central opening in annulus 78 particularly by vane extensions 84 which extend into the area surrounded by flange 82 and therefore by flange 32. The latter flange 32 may of course be coupled with any materials conveying suction line or other suction line, the latter being unimportant as it forms no part of the present invention except to illustrate the use to which the fan may be put.

As the air entering runner 68 axially hits the plate 88 the central frusto-conical portion 92 directs the air radially outwardly toward the periphery of runner 68, the same being eventually discharged through tangential outlet 34. It has been found that the particular vane construction of the vanes '74 including their shape and their extensions 84 together with the shape and construction of plate 88 permits a fan 10 to have a greater volumetric capacity for moving air than fans of equal diameter and horsepower constructed in accordance with the prior art.

In addition the mounting frame assembly 14 which is fixed to the casing 12 adapts the fan 10 to be universally mounted so that tangential discharge 34 may be directed to discharge the air in any desired direction. Simple movement of the brace 64 upwardly or downwardly on support 22 will accomplish such change of direction of discharge 34 and if desired frame assembly 14 may be moved to the horizontal position and mounted directly to a base 16. Further, frame assembly 14 may be pivoted while in the position shown in FIG. 1 about its longitudinal axis to further permit change of direction of the dis charge 34. All of these adjustments can be accomplished without any modification of the casing 12 or the frame assembly 14.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a blower, a rotatable runner including a central hub rotatable about a central axis, a plurality of elongated circumferentially spaced vanes fixed to the hub and extending spanwise outwardly from the hub, each of said vanes being substantially straight along a median plane which extends radially of the axis of the runner and said vanes being transversely arcuate in a chordwise sense which extends axially of the runner and said vanes terminating in transverse ends, an annulus fixed to the corresponding edges on one of the transverse ends of the vanes to provide an air inlet to the central portion of the vanes, and a plate having a frusto-conical inner surface with the inner periphery thereof secured to said hub and to the corresponding edges of the other transverse ends of said vanes whereby the axial distance between the annulus and the plate increases and the corresponding chord of the vanes increases as the periphery of the runner is approached, and the effective spanwise length of the vanes increases from said plate to the inner periphery of the frusto-conical surface and the cross-sectional area between adjacent vanes increases outwardly spanwise of the vanes.

2. The structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the edge of each vane adjacent said plate is in substantial merging relationship to said surface of the plate.

3. The structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein is included an annular flange on the inner peripheral margin of said annulus, said flange extending axially outwardly from said runner, and extension means on the edge of each vane adjacent said annulus and extending laterally into the area surrounded by said flange in relatively close proximity thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 416,070 Pelzer Nov. 26, 1889 656,023 Keeney Aug. 14, 1900 2,143,335 Toler Jan. 10, 1939 2,316,608 McMahan Apr. 13, 1943 2,910,224 Campbell Oct. 27, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 63,233 Germany July 11, 1892 269,616 Germany Jan. 27, 1914 12,611 Great Britain 1884 16,592 Great Britain of 1908 464,449 Great Britain Apr. 19, 1937 

1. IN A BLOWER, A ROTATABLE RUNNER INCLUDING A CENTRAL HUB ROTATABLE ABOUT A CENTRAL AXIS, A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED VANES FIXED TO THE HUB AND EXTENDING SPANWISE OUTWARDLY FROM THE HUB, EACH OF SAID VANES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT ALONG A MEDIAN PLANE WHICH EXTENDS RADIALLY OF THE AXIS OF THE RUNNER AND SAID VANES BEING TRANSVERSELY ARCUATE IN A CHORDWISE SENSE WHICH EXTENDS AXIALLY OF THE RUNNER AND SAID VANES TERMINATING IN TRANSVERSE ENDS, AN ANNULUS FIXED TO THE CORRESPONDING EDGES ON ONE OF THE TRANSVERSE ENDS OF THE VANES TO PROVIDE AN AIR INLET TO THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE VANES, AND A PLATE HAVING A FRUSTO-CONCIAL INNER SURFACE WITH THE INNER PERIPHERY THEREOF SECURED TO SAID HUB AND TO THE CORRESPONDING EDGES OF THE OTHER TRANSVERSE ENDS OF SAID VANES WHEREBY THE AXIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE ANNULUS AND THE PLATE INCREASES AND THE CORRESPONDING CHORD OF THE VANES INCREASES AS THE PERIPHERY OF THE RUNNER IS APPROACHED, AND THE EFFECTIVE SPANWISE LENGTH OF THE VANES INCREASES FROM SAID PLATE TO THE INNER PERIPHERY OF THE FRUSTO-CONICAL SURFACE AND THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA BETWEEN ADJACENT VANES INCREASES OUTWARDLY SPANWISE OF THE VANES. 